COVID-19 and the subsequent travel bans continue to make life hard for travel and culture enthusiasts looking to cure their aching wanderlust.
Fortunately a number of art galleries and museums globally were propelled to shift their operations to digital space in light of the ongoing Covid-19 lockdowns.
Wouter Vermeulen, Air France KLM Southern Africa general manager notes that as we continue being responsible citizens by practising social distancing, people across the world are finding creative ways to cope and bring the world to them.
“During this time of lockdown we have seen people embracing virtual travel to their dream destinations. And while it is no replacement for the real thing, it helps keep that travel dream alive. Another way we have seen people bringing the world to them is through virtual tourism! Many tourist hotspots and museums have created interactive versions of their offering to give travellers a glimpse into their unique exhibits,” added Vermeulen.
In a bid to bring the French spirit to South African travellers, Air France shares some top French museums offering interactive tours to help bring the magic of France into your own home.
The Louvre
It’s one of the world’s most famous museums and the Louvre has pulled all the stops to ensure that culture fundis are able to get a dose of its remarkable exhibitions from home.
Through this remarkable virtual tour, travellers are able to explore the many corridors and take in some of the most important pieces in history which sit proudly on display in the Louvre.
Visitors will get to see some of the world’s most treasured and expensive masterpieces like the Mona Lisa painting, the ancient Nike of Samothrace Greek sculpture, and lustrous menus de Milo, which depicts the celebrated Greek goddess of love and beauty Aphrodite. Visit the Louvre virtually here.
The Fine Arts Museum Of Lyon
Situated in the South of France, Lyon is rich in both history and culture, which is reflected in the riches of one of its greatest attractions, The Fine Arts Museum Of Lyon.
Housed in a centuries-old Benedictine convent, and ranked first among France’s regional museums, the museum boasts one of the largest collections of European works of art after the Louvre.
from Véronèse to Rubens, Rembrandt, Poussin, Géricault, you name it – dating from ancient Egypt to the present-day.
All thanks to Google Arts & Culture’s new online exhibition, European art enthusiasts can discover more than 30 pieces of fascinating civilizations from Egypt, to the Middle, Far East, Greece, and Ancient Italy. Visit The Fine Arts Museum Of Lyon virtually here.
Musée d’Orsay
While The Louvre is certainly Paris’ most-famous museum, Musée d’Orsay continues to be one of the city’s most magical cultural hotspots. The museum is housed in what used to be an old railway station and a hotel before it was turned into the remarkable world-famous museum that it is today. The museum houses spectacular French furniture, paintings, photographs, and sculptures from artists like Renoir, Monet, Degas, Manet, and van Gogh. Visit Musée d’Orsay virtually here.
The Lascaux Caves
While the French arts scene is known for housing some of the finest art known to man, it also offers a glimpse into what life was like thousands of years ago when cave art was still a prominent way of expression. The Lascaux Caves, situated near the village of Montignac, is home to some of the earliest cave paintings in the world.
The cave contains nearly 6,000 figures which can be grouped into three main categories: animals, human figures and abstract signs, and gives us a glimpse of what human life was like roughly 20,000 years ago. Visit The Lascaux Caves virtually here.
Musée l’Orangerie
Fans of the renowned French painter Monet are in for a treat as Musée l’Orangerie, which houses the artist’s famous Water Lilies mural, gives fans an inside look at Monet’s monumental piece.
The museum invites travellers to take part in a virtual walk in the two oval rooms of the artist’s world-famous Water Lilies series which was designed between 1915 and 1926 in Giverny – a village in the region of Normandy in northern France where Monet lived and worked from 1883 until his death in 1926.
With an incredible zoom function, visitors can get up close and personal to every brushstroke this incredible artist used to create one of his career-defining projects. Visit Musée l’Orangerie virtually here.
